Stone walls are expensive to construct from both a material and labor perspective. Stone veneer panels expedite the construction process by allowing the installer to utilize stone veneer panels with a large surface area to quickly cover large, structural areas once a framework using specially designed brackets are installed.
Present methods of stone wall construction typically utilize skilled masons whose services are expensive and can therefore add substantially increased cost to the final product. Moreover, the presently described apparatus and kit will require less time than the utilization of skilled masons to produce a high quality wall and generally will require less time than the present method but will not result in any lesser of a visually pleasing final product.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a stone veneer panel installation kit that may be quickly installed with minimal masonry skills on the part of the installer and yet produce a veneer wall that is seamless and realistic-looking in comparison to an authentic stone wall.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the prior art, the general purpose of the present stone veneer installation kit is to provide the user with the equipment and the methodology for quickly and efficiently installing a realistic stone veneer panel using brackets that are specially configured to interface with the veneer panels.
An object of the disclosed technology is to provide a kit that includes a plurality of brackets, veneer panels and filler panels. The brackets are fastened to a building structure with fasteners through a center mount in the bracket. The brackets comprise two channels, formed by wing walls extending outwardly from the upper and lower sides for receiving longitudinally running flanges disposed on the upper and lower edges of the veneer panels. A stone veneer wall is typically constructed from the bottom-up, meaning that the lower-most veneer panel is installed on the structure first. Following the installation of the lower veneer panel a filler panel is installed above the lower panel and securely locked into position with the aid of interlocking flanges on the veneer panel and the filler panel. Optionally, an adhesive may be applied to secure the filler panel to the bracket. Once the filler panel is in position, the installer places the upper veneer panel into position above the filler panel further utilizing the interlocking flanges of both the veneer panel and the filler panel. Once the upper veneer panel is in position the filler panel cannot be outwardly extracted from the wall as the beveled edges of the filler panel and the veneer panels interfere with one another preventing outward translation of the filler panel.
Another object of the invention is to provide a stone veneer panel kit that extends the paneling away from the structure to allow movement of air and facilitate drainage of water. The brackets are specifically configured to position the panels away from the structure, providing a pathway for air to circulate and allowing passage of water down the surface of the wall unimpeded by the rear surface of the stone veneer panels. With increasing litigation over exposure to toxic mold in residential settings significant effort has been brought to bear on the elimination of construction methodologies that capture and pool moisture that ultimately leads to mold growth. Spacing between structural and ornamental layers in residential and commercial settings, sufficient for movement of air that aids in evaporation of water, will substantially reduce the prospect of mold formation.
Another object of the disclosed technology is to provide a bracket that is lightweight yet sufficiently rigid to support a stone veneer wall using opposed channels to support the flanges of stone veneer panels.
These, together with other aspects of the disclosed technology, along with the various features of novelty that characterize the technology, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and form a part of this disclosed technology. For a better understanding of the disclosed technology, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated exemplary embodiments of the disclosed technology.